Microsoft to developers: We’ve built it, they will come

It's day one of Microsoft BUILD, the company's major developer conference. Traditionally at these things (this is only the second BUILD, but before it there were almost 20 years of PC conferences that served a similar purpose) the keynote presentations are developer-heavy. The speakers tend to talk about Microsoft's latest developer tools and operating system platforms, do some programming live on stage (always a crowd-pleaser), and show off new testing and source control features—playing to the audience.

But today was different. BUILD's opening keynote was presented by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Ballmer was in top form. Thanks to certain videos, the man's presentation style has developed a certain reputation: over-confident, volume cranked up to 11, bombastic, and, it must be said, sweaty.

Today, he was none of that. He was composed, funny, natural, and overall tremendously likable. He was, as always, excited about the products Microsoft is delivering, but where sometimes that excitement comes across as almost scary, today it was infectious enthusiasm.

Steve Ballmer is plainly a person who believes very strongly in the products that Microsoft has built, namely the recently-released Windows 8 and Surface and the imminently available Windows Phone 8. He believes in the underlying vision, and today, in his keynote, that's what he was selling to the thousands of assembled developers in a giant tent on Microsoft's campus, and many thousands more watching streams online.

The vision once had a name—"three screens and a cloud"—but that terminology appears to have been left on the scrapheap of history alongside the term "Metro". Even without this name, that is the vision that Ballmer was selling. Three Microsoft platforms: the PC/tablet (because for Redmond, the latter is just one kind of the former), the smartphone, and the TV-connected console-cum-media player. All three are unified with a common design and aesthetic, have a (somewhat) similar development platform, and are tied together with cloud services.

That vision still isn't fully realized, but it is manifest today in a way that it never has been before. This is Microsoft's platform, this is Microsoft's future, and what it needs from developers is simple: it needs them to buy into the platform and develop applications. It needs new applications, Metro-style applications, for Windows 8 and for Windows Phone 8.

Ballmer's job today was to sell that platform to developers. He had to get them engaged and excited, and most important of all, to convince them that the audience is there; he had to convince them that if they built their apps, there would be tens and hundreds of millions of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 users to buy them. Build the apps and the customers will come.

How will Microsoft get those customers? A range of hardware spanning any usage scenario, from 10-inch tablets to 82-inch monster touchscreens including touch-screen Ultrabooks, all-in-one family PCs, and even powerful workstations, is a good start. This, coupled with a saturation marketing campaign, will be all but unavoidable.

For Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is betting big on Windows 8. With its common look-and-feel, the company is counting on Windows Phone 8 being the natural smartphone choice for Windows 8 users. Windows Phone 8 will be the smartphone that feels familiar to Windows 8 users, and thanks to cloud services like SkyDrive and Xbox Music Pass, it's the phone that will be best integrated and best connected.

Will developers respond? The response at BUILD was enthusiastic, but this is arguably to be expected. At BUILD, there's a certain degree of preaching to the choir—you don't generally attend a Microsoft developer event unless you're invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. The real test will be in coming months, when we'll see if developers are taking Redmond's platform seriously from the apps they produce. And the onus is also on the software giant to deliver the users it promised. Microsoft has built it, so will they come?

88 Reader Comments

It's down to the developers now... I'm inclined to believe that the common UI will be a success if the apps are there - especially if the licensing allows you to put an app on all your devices with just one purchase.

I'm not too taken with the Metro interface for a desktop but maybe the desktop will be a relatively small part of computing one day?

If Microsoft built a structure for developers to work in, with the main priority of making it a better experience for both the consumer and the developer, gaining support wouldn't be a problem.

Where Microsoft muddles this up is by trying to put more control into their new systems that impose upon the developers, not for the sake of a better system/structure but very bluntly to serve Microsoft's desires for more control of programs within it's systems. The Metro environment requires that developers give up a lot of things to Microsoft, for heavily controlled platforms such as cell phones and consoles , this is the norm unlike PCs.

So Microsoft has to think past the, 'We built it, they will come' idea, and think WHY would they come? Why would they want to? People don't usually volunteer to do things in the most troublesome manner without benefits that make it worthwhile overall.

I know I can't say if consumers and developers will accept or reject this new movement, but I know which result I prefer.

I could not disagree with this more, at least in one sense. I understand that Microsoft had to do something to stop hemorrhaging market share to 'the fruit company', but building an interface that 'forces' a touch interface on a desktop is not futuristic, intuitive, or helpful. If anything its a hindrance, and especially so when it provides no easy transition to the millions of users use to a start button, start menu, and the taskbar.

I believe that this cycle will fair similarly to Vista, where people pay OEMs to downgrade, and yet once again, Microsoft will have created another scenario where an aging OS (7) will plague them well beyond it's lifespan.

And the onus is also on the software giant to deliver the users it promised. Microsoft has built it: will they come?

Peter, you nailed it. This is Windows8's Gordian knot.

For the sake of disclosure: I'm fully invested in the Windows ecosystem and therefore there might be a wide disconnect between my prayers and reality.

This is what I pray for: that Windows 8 will be the consolidation of the under-brands (Win32, COM, .Net, Direct3D, RT, to name just a few) into an overarching lineup of devices. By consolidation I mean that starting with W8, the cloud is doing at the highest level what COM does at the lowest level. That is, in my opinion, an spectacular breakthrough that will continue to get augmented, refined and optimized in W9 and W10.

This is what I fear: that in spite of W8's breakthroughs, developers may decide to sit this one out. If developers remain indifferent to W8 it will go down in history as yet another iteration of Microsoft's release machine.

Applications and drivers, critical applications in particular, continue to be the reason of success behind platforms. Microsoft is aware of that and that's why it invests so much in solving developers needs with incredible tools such as VStudio.

But reality is reality. Let's hope that the excitement at BUILD transcends those of us who are technically, professionally and artistically invested in the Windows ecosystem. Let's hope the prayers are answered and the fears overblown. Amen.

I believe that this cycle will fair similarly to Vista, where people pay OEMs to downgrade, and yet once again, Microsoft will have created another scenario where an aging OS (7) will plague them well beyond it's lifespan.

W7 is the culmination of the traditional Operating System started with NT3, centered on the desktop.W8 is the first incarnation of a federation of devices that use a common low-level API and are held Constitutionally together by the internet.

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

I believe that this cycle will fair similarly to Vista, where people pay OEMs to downgrade, and yet once again, Microsoft will have created another scenario where an aging OS (7) will plague them well beyond it's lifespan.

W7 is the culmination of the traditional Operating System started with NT3, centered on the desktop.W8 is the first incarnation of a federation of devices united by a common low-level API and glued by the internet.

Try to think outside the desktop

/put Luddite hat on

After using an iPhone, Macbook Air, and a homebuilt PC for the last two years, I have very little faith in anyone one company getting the "federation of devices" thing working in the near future. My iPhone does the phone thing well, but fails more than it succeeds. OS X has been interesting on the laptop, and my experience with it has lead me to believe that while OS X is great for simple tasks, I will never use it on a desktop. My Win 7 PC is great as a desktop, but would fail as either of the other two. My experience with Xbox and the 360 has left me not wanting to buy another console again.

The issue for me is that as much as Apple and Microsoft are striving for a one-size-fits-all approach to look, feel and functionality, each of these devices plays a different and separate role in my life, and I don't want to have a bunch of Jack of all trades devices when I can cherry pick the best tool for the job. And there is no way I'm going to risk buying a new phone, laptop, computer, and tv box just to get the marginal benefit of a few cross platform features.

I want the best tool for each function. Maybe Win 8 will start down this path, but nothing I have read shows this happening without serious investment on my part, and using software kludges to make it happen.

I'd be a lot more inclined to develop Windows 8 Metro apps if I didn't have to pay for a second development account. I still can't believe they're making us pay for a second account, have they just not migrated wp7 dev accounts yet?

Edit: Just realized this is on top of my MSDN ultimate account too which you think would get you both for the price. How many subscriptions do I have Microsoft?

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

Did you learn to ride a bike in 4 minutes or something?

I've been for a few hours at night over the last few days and am beginning to 'get it.' That said I do work in IT, mainly supporting Windows, so I guess I learn computer related stuff easy.

Once I learned to imagine the Start Screen as the Start Menu, it was pretty easy to adjust, and I feel like I already work faster, and that's with-out a gesture capable touchpad or touchscreen. Any time you feel frustrated at the lack of a Start Menu, just press the damn Windows Key or click on the lower left corner. It's really not hard to figure out.

Everything that is annoying me at the moment, like not being able to click "X" to close an app, will be solved with a multi-touch capable input device. I.e. 3 finger swipe to close an app, instead opf clicking an X.

I can't WAIT to have a multi-touch capable trackpad, or a touch screen!

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

You do your clients a disservice by being ignorant and impatient. Windows 8 is here whether you personally like it or not, and isn't THAT different. I've never seen this amount of raw hyperbole surrounding a Windows release, not even ME or Vista.

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

Had you used the Developer/Consumer Preview prior to that? If you did, why did you waste your money on something that was relatively unchanged (UX-wise)? If not, I pray your clients aren't counting on you to be up-to-date before they are ... >_<

After using Win8 CP for a few months I'll be grabbing a Win8 Pro upgrade as soon as life slows down a little and I can spend a whole night actually at home, doing all the things necessary for an upgrade install on my main PC. I've spent a little effort and money preparing it to become an HTPC, and with Win8 and Logitech K400 I can have a really usable experience from the couch while I shop around for a new main PC. After toying with one at the local JB Hi-Fi I really want an AIO or notebook with a touchscreen, then convert my workspace to a standing desk.

I'm not at all convinced by the idea that Windows 8 users will naturally lead to Windows Phone users, that the two offer "superior integration" or anything like that. I use Windows 8 and Android. To get files onto my phone, there's Dropox or Google Drive. To access my music from the cloud there's Google Music (and it's free, not $10/month). SkyDrive and Xbox Music Pass offer literally nothing over this. No manual syncing needs to happen between the devices. Most people are already using iPhones and Android phones with Windows PCs or Macs, and I don't think the existence of Windows 8 will suddenly cause people to switch phone platforms. It MAY attract a new user just because they figure they might as well stick with the Windows family, but most people who don't know about all the options will probably just want an iPhone anyway.

I'm not at all convinced by the idea that Windows 8 users will naturally lead to Windows Phone users, that the two offer "superior integration" or anything like that. I use Windows 8 and Android. To get files onto my phone, there's Dropox or Google Drive. To access my music from the cloud there's Google Music (and it's free, not $10/month). SkyDrive and Xbox Music Pass offer literally nothing over this. No manual syncing needs to happen between the devices. Most people are already using iPhones and Android phones with Windows PCs or Macs, and I don't think the existence of Windows 8 will suddenly cause people to switch phone platforms. It MAY attract a new user just because they figure they might as well stick with the Windows family, but most people who don't know about all the options will probably just want an iPhone anyway.

I think there are definitely network effects for staying within the ecosystem, provided the ecosystem is compelling enough. It's pretty clear that the success of the iPod and iPhone has had a dramatic effect on Mac sales, for example.

But I think in the case of Windows Phone, the benefits may be a lot more subtle that this. Windows Phone has struggled in part from seeming too alien to people for whom the iPhone has come to define the smartphone experience. If millions are exposed to Metro because of Windows 8 and Surface and they come to genuinely like it, it should make it easier for them to consider the same experience on a phone.

I'm not at all convinced by the idea that Windows 8 users will naturally lead to Windows Phone users, that the two offer "superior integration" or anything like that. I use Windows 8 and Android. To get files onto my phone, there's Dropox or Google Drive. To access my music from the cloud there's Google Music (and it's free, not $10/month). SkyDrive and Xbox Music Pass offer literally nothing over this. No manual syncing needs to happen between the devices. Most people are already using iPhones and Android phones with Windows PCs or Macs, and I don't think the existence of Windows 8 will suddenly cause people to switch phone platforms. It MAY attract a new user just because they figure they might as well stick with the Windows family, but most people who don't know about all the options will probably just want an iPhone anyway.

For the phone, yes. The tablet, Microsoft has a strong case. The ability to have a tablet with a good touch UI that transforms into a real productivity device and runs all windows software is very compelling to me.

As a full time developer for in house applications in a Windows based company, I can say that some of us will certainly be developing for Windows 8 as a desktop - and it is apparently a good one, as far as I can tell so far.

I think it is much less clear that companies will want to buy tablets for employees, in which case they could all be Windows based. If people want to use their own, there will be a lot of iPads and iPhones in the mix for a good long while yet.

I get meeting reminders and email and contacts on my iPad, I can do net meetings on WebEx, and it is just the right amount of necessary work-related stuff without injecting work into every waking minute of my life. Plus I can do remote desktop in an emergency.

We also have an HTML5 mobile web app for use at work, which is quite functional for data entry from the plants and viewing reports and status, and will run on any of the tablets. I think things will trend in that direction for companies, and might even just stay there.

Everything that is annoying me at the moment, like not being able to click "X" to close an app, will be solved with a multi-touch capable input device. I.e. 3 finger swipe to close an app, instead opf clicking an X.

Just FYI you can close a metro app by clicking and dragging it down from the top of the screen. Or of course with the switcher open you can just right click an app and close.

One of the lesser discussed pieces of news of the conference today is the fact that JavaScript apps will not be allowed on Windows Phone 8. There are some hacks that you can do to work around it but the standard JS/HTML/CSS apps that you write for Win8 will not just work on the phone, despite them saying otherwise last year. Nobody talked about it and I had to flat out ask at a session today to have someone confirm it. Despite all of the talk about platform parity, this is a huge hole in their story.

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

5 minutes. Wow. Good thing you gave it a good workout. You know they make medication for that condition. I believe it's called ADD.

don't we have Apple fans saying essentially the same thing? e.g. the iPad is a PC?

There are apple fans saying that, but they're wrong. A phone OS can't do what a desktop OS can do, and you can't run desktop (OSX) applications on an iPad (iOS).

Windows 8 runs on both the desktop and tablets, so Windows 8 tablets will run everything from angry birds to Starcraft to Office to the Gimp to whatever you're already running on the desktop. The iPad can't do that.

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

Why would anyone ask you how to use Win8 when you got lost and befuddled and gave up after 5 minutes?

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

5 minutes. Wow. Good thing you gave it a good workout. You know they make medication for that condition. I believe it's called ADD.

I thought it was called FOCD (Fear Of Change Disorder) or OSICWMHATIBGUABSED (Oh Shit I Can't Wrap My Head Around This I'd Better Give Up And Blame Somebody Else Disorder).

good luck getting one OS that can do that all, unless it has different config options for each type. Though if you do that then don't you essentially have 3 different OS's regardless of how much they look alike?

don't we have Apple fans saying essentially the same thing? e.g. the iPad is a PC?

There are apple fans saying that, but they're wrong. A phone OS can't do what a desktop OS can do, and you can't run desktop (OSX) applications on an iPad (iOS).

Windows 8 runs on both the desktop and tablets, so Windows 8 tablets will run everything from angry birds to Starcraft to Office to the Gimp to whatever you're already running on the desktop. The iPad can't do that.

riiiiiight. I would like to see you play some of the newer video games on a Windows 8 Tablet and not get frustrated from the framerate. Gimp/Blender would take forever especially now that they are adding GPU computing capability. Any GPU driven game would be crippled on a tablet.

Edit: make that any Decent GPU driven game would be...There are some out there that really have no need to be GPU driven though they do take advantage of it.

I think Microsoft would have a case if they weren't the middle-man. Because every software you make has to pass through their filter, it will eventually hurt them. Maybe even big time. I don't mind the interface all that much, and I believe that after the initial shock, people will get used to it. However, I'm not sure (hope?) developers will hop onto this bandwagon.

This is not a new platform or form-factor where nothing really existed before. This is something we've been using for the past several years one way, and suddenly they want to go the other way. Maybe some devs will buy into MS' message, but I *strongly* believe that more will see this for what it is. A damage to freedom. Like I've said many times before, just like I don't like it when I only have one supplier for my parts in my company, I don't like it when I only have one supplier for my software. If all the metro apps have to go through the one store, we have a big issue here.

Due to the ubiquitousness of Windows, this can be quite troublesome. This isn't the iPhone all over again where people somehow got used to only buy through the app store because no other way was allowed. This is Internet Explorer 6 all over again where no matter how much innovation happened in other fronts, so many people had IE that all of that innovation was irrelevant. It took us many many years to shake that off, and we still are fighting it.

You can disagree all you want, but Microsoft has showed in the past what it can do with too much control. I'm skeptical, and as much as I like the idea behind the user experience of Windows 8, I can't support it. Color me paranoid, but I like my freedom too much.

I might be wrong, though. But history has a tendency to repeat itself. And I'm not talking just about Microsoft here.

Everything that is annoying me at the moment, like not being able to click "X" to close an app, will be solved with a multi-touch capable input device. I.e. 3 finger swipe to close an app, instead opf clicking an X.

Just FYI you can close a metro app by clicking and dragging it down from the top of the screen. Or of course with the switcher open you can just right click an app and close.

I'm not sure if you knew that I'm not trying to be snarky!

Oh, awesome! Thanks for the tip. These are the kind of things you learn after the 5 minute point I guess.

So far I am pleased with Windows 8. A bit disjointed with the Metro vs Desktop side, and it feels a bit.... empty.... somehow, but that's something I'll probably adjust to, and will also be addressed by further updates and apps.

They built it. I bought it. I downloaded it (Windows 8 Pro upgrade). I installed it. I tried it for 5 minutes. I promptly formatted my drive and prayed none of my clients buy a Windows 8 machine such that I have to show them how to use it.

Can you PM me your license number, then? I assume your 5 minutes was enough to dissuade you from ever trying again, so why waste the money you spent? I'll gladly use the license you apparently don't need.